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Automotive sales for the first quarter of the age of coronavirus were expected to fall.

The question has been how much? The numbers, in the end, won't tell the whole story because the COVID-19 shutdown affecting so many areas has been in effect for just a matter of weeks, even as sales were dropping in some places before then. The sales numbers will, however, give us a view of the damage that is unfolding. One estimate said the loss this year could be a drop of up to 3 million vehicle sales.

For Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the answer released Wednesday was a 10% U.S. sales decline to 446,768 vehicles compared to the same period a year ago, with most brands dropping. General Motors saw its sales drop 7% to 618,335 for the quarter compared to the first three months of 2019.

While both companies saw drops across brands, there were bright spots, such as trucks.

Fiat Chrysler

The Ram brand, which has been a powerhouse for FCA, rose 3% (pickup trucks were up 7%), and even individual models ticked up — Chrysler Pacifica minivans (5%) and Dodge Durango (5%).

The 2020 Ram 1500 Limited is one of two Ram 1500 trims that Cars.com designated its luxury car of the year.(Photo: FCA US LLC)

“Our dealers have once again stepped up as pillars of the community as they have continued to provide critical support to our customers on the road,” FCA's U.S. Head of Sales Jeff Kommor said in a news release. “Many have taken extraordinary steps ranging from enhanced sanitizing protocols for their showrooms to the offer of home delivery and other concierge services to keep consumers safe. I applaud all of them for their efforts.”

The company also said it has eased the process for its online vehicle purchase system.

"Not only can consumers purchase a vehicle off a dealer lot, they can conduct a vehicle trade-in, apply for credit, receive price and payment estimation, and review service protection plan options," the release said.

General Motors

U.S. sales for all of GM's brands declined for the quarter compared to the same period a year ago — Buick 35%, Cadillac 16%, Chevrolet 4% and GMC 6%. But tucked within the brands are some interesting nuggets.

As with FCA, GM's trucks saw increases. For example, Chevy Silverado light duty was up 34% and GMC Sierra light duty was up 27%.

GM's numbers were also affected by decisions related to pre-virus changes in the marketplace. The company stopped producing some smaller sedans in favor of larger, more profitable vehicles as consumers had shifted their purchases away from cars in favor of SUVs and trucks in recent years. It's not clear how the pandemic might affect that shift.

GM stopped production of the Chevrolet Cruze last year, so that change is reflected in the quarterly total. GM recorded 405 sales of the Cruze in the first three months of this year, compared to 23,311 during the same period a year ago.

As with FCA, GM highlighted its dealers' efforts in the face of the crisis.

“In this uncertain and challenging time, GM and our strong network of dealers are here to help, offering concierge service, providing courtesy transportation to customers in need and offering home delivery where permissible,” Kurt McNeil, GM's U.S. vice president of sales operations, said in a release.

GM noted that dealer service operations are also considered essential businesses in some areas under stay-at-home orders, to serve "first responders, healthcare workers and food supply and delivery workers" and remain open.

The company also mentioned its online sales options.

“Customers who need to purchase a new vehicle can use GM’s Shop. Click. Drive. program, which allows them to browse inventory, choose a vehicle, customize their payment and schedule delivery at home where available,” McNeil said in the release.

Some other automakers also released their U.S. sales numbers for the quarter Wednesday (Ford is expected to release its numbers on Thursday).

Toyota

Sales for the quarter compared to the same period a year ago dropped 9% for Toyota to 495,747 vehicles. The Toyota brand was down 8% and the luxury Lexus brand dropped 16%.

Nissan

Sales at Nissan dropped 30% to 257,606 for the first three months of the year compared to the same period in 2019. The Nissan brand matched the company's overall percentage decline, but the higher-end Infiniti brand suffered a bit less with a 26% drop.

The company noted its own bright spot with the Nissan Murano crossover up 34% for the quarter.

Volkswagen

Germany's Volkswagen recorded a 13% drop in sales to 75,075 for the quarter. The company said its March sales dropped 42% because of the pandemic.

Subaru

Sales at Subaru dropped 17% to 130,591 for the quarter compared to the first quarter of 2019. Every model was down, although Forester had the least bad performance with a 4% drop.

Hyundai/Kia

The South Korean company was hit like others. Hyundai brand saw its first quarter sales drop 11% to 130,875. While Kia notched an approximately 1% uptick for the quarter to 137,945, its March numbers followed the trends, with a 19% drop.

Despite the sales carnage, Detroit's automakers might find a bit of a silver lining in what does sell in the coming months, said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of industry analysis at Edmunds.

"Trucks could come out of this decent, just because some of them are needs based," she said, noting the performance of both Ram and Silverado during the quarter.

"It's hard to find the flowers in the field here but I think this could be one. We know that April is not going to be a good month. I'd expect these numbers to go down further."

Caldwell said that the industry is in a different place now than it was during the last financial crisis, in part because of inventory levels.

Because of the manufacturing shutdown now and changes related to contracts, automakers won't have to produce such large volumes of vehicles. Without the high levels of inventory seen during the last crisis, the pressures to incentivize new vehicle sales when life returns to something approaching normal aren't likely to be as high.

Automakers are pushing some deals now, though. FCA, for instance, rolled out a new marketing campaign Wednesday, featuring ads with OneRepublic's "Better Days," which was recorded under quarantine.

The campaign highlights FCA's "Drive Forward" initiative, which touts "zero-percent financing for 84 months and no payments for 90 days on select FCA 2019 and 2020 models."